


I'm Real

by BlueJay_3



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, But there's a good reason for it, Dave is exactly what Klaus needs, Dave works at the rehab, Drug Use, I promise, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, M/M, OOC Ben, OR IS HE, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Rehab, Schizophrenia, Suicide, This hurt me to write, it's Klaus, obviously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 21:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18060878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueJay_3/pseuds/BlueJay_3
Summary: Reginald Hargreeves was a mad man. On March 13th, 1989, he decides to adopt 7 newborns. There is nothing special about them.Except Klaus. But schizophrenia isn't exactly what one considers a good type of special.Or: Klaus is still very Klaus-like and is again in rehab, where he meets the aide Dave.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm not much of a writer, but Klaus gave me a bit of inspiration.
> 
> For angst. Lots of angst.
> 
> If this has errors I'm sorry. I wrote this on my phone then had to go back and edit, which is difficult for me. Also, this is my first fan fic and first story I've written in awhile, so my apologies if it's bad.
> 
> This has exactly zero spoilers for the series or comics.
> 
> Rated T for language, drug use, and ya know, all the stuff mentioned in the tags.

Here he was again. Handcuffed, being walked up to the ugly yellow building that was the Sunny rehab center. Without the handcuffs and the cop walking next to him, he would've never walked in, but today he has no choice. The officer's sweaty hand tightly grasps right above Klaus’ elbow. His arm was so small that the hand easily went all the way around. Sure, the man's hand was huge itself, just like the cop it belonged to, but it still probably wouldn't go around the average man's bicep.

Klaus tried to remember the guy's name but came up blank. He was honestly still a little high. Luckily for him, coke seemed to last quite awhile. Maybe because it wasn’t one of his regular reliefs from the screaming assholes that others couldn’t see.

Speaking of which, he still had one next to him. The only one no amount of drugs could block out. His brother was yelling at him for having to get sent to rehab again.

“If you had just listened to me for once, we wouldn’t be here! You could be nice and sober and we could have a really damn fun conversation for once!”

“First of all, you don’t have to be here. And second, I don't think I'm supposed to be talking to you. You know, the whole being dead thing. Most people don't like it when I talk to dead people, Benny Boy.” Klaus tried to keep his voice low, but there was no way of hiding his seemingly one-sided conversation from the officer.

They stopped abruptly right before the doors, the hand on his arm tightening drastically. “What did you just say to me?”

The man stared down at Klaus angrily. “I'm sorry my dear friend. I was just talking to Ben here.”

“And what did you have to say to me?” He asked again.

“What?” and then he remembered. “Ooohh. Ha! That's funny.”

His brother chose to speak up again. “What the fuck now, Klaus?”

Klaus turned to Ben and told him to shut up again. Then he turned to the other Ben. Officer Ben. “Just remembered your name, buddy. Sorry to say, but you were just not special enough to be part of the conversation before. I was talking to dear brother Benny, there,” he said, nodding to the guy who he was sure the officer couldn't see.

“Weird-ass,” the officer grumbled as he shoved Klaus forward, grabbing the door handle at the same time. He pulled it open, pushed Klaus inside, and quickly undid the cuffs. “Sit,” he demanded, pointing at one of the comfy chairs in the reception area as he walked up to the front desk. He and the secretary, or whoever she was, spoke in low voices. The lady glanced over and made eye contact with Klaus while he rubbed his sore wrists.

Klaus recognized her immediately as the doctor who had talked to him last time he was here.

“Ooh! Dr. Cassandra!” Ben yelled in excitement. “She’s so nice to us! Except when she says I'm not real. Oh well. Some people just can't grasp the concept that I'm here. Stupid normal people. ‘Oh, poor Klaus. He's just a schizo. He really thinks his brother’s there,’” he mocks. “Blah blah blah. I am here! I always will be!”

Klaus did his best to tune out Ben - his Ben - while the officer breezed by him and out the door, still mumbling something about psycho druggies. The doctor had come out from behind her desk and was suddenly crouched in front of him where'd he'd been looking down trying to avoid both Bens’ gazes.

“Hello again, Klaus,” she spoke softly. “It's nice to see you. Maybe not here, but still.” She paused. “Ben still here bothering you?”

He debated his response, knowing she wasn't talking about the cop who'd just left. He decided on a slight, slow nod.

She sighed. “Just gotta remember he's not real Klaus. We'll have to work on that again, won't we?”

He didn't respond. He just followed as she sighed again and began walking past the open wooden door into the hall that he knew led to the recreational room, full of junkies like him, probably playing cards or something equally as boring. Luckily, they walked right past the open space and back to Dr. Cassandra’s office.

He always found it weird that they insisted on only used first names. He guessed it was so no one could stalk anyone else after getting out.

Klaus did his best to sit still while she asked him questions and tried to Ignore Bens remarks about the weird furniture and about how sobriety would let Klaus see his friends again. Klaus didn't want to see them again.

“Klaus?” the doctor called after some particularly loud complaints from Ben. “Try to focus the best you can. Then we can get you to a room to sleep off whatever you took. Now, could you tell me your birth date?”

“March 13th, 1989. Just like last time I was here.”

She chuckled. “Approximate height and weight?”

“Um, uh 6 foot 1, and, I don't know. Last I was here it was 130. Think I lost a bit. Maybe 125?”

She frowned slightly at the thought, but at least he wasn’t lying to her. “Okay, and what was it that brought you here?”

“Officer Ben.” He laughed at his own joke and at the doctors glare. Then he sighed and said the minimal, “drugs, obviously.”

“Clearly, Klaus. I meant specifically.”

“Ah. Well. It started when I was young, you know. I was 13, and-”

“Klaus!”

“Fine. I was caught with my dealer. You know… naked. When he was handing over drugs after... On the bright side, I got to take them before the police got there!”

Ben snorted on his right while Cassandra sighed again. She typed something and looked impatiently at her printer. Slowly, it pushed out his information on a little sticker that she put on a little white band. “Wrist,” she demanded. He huffed and held out his arm to her. She put secured the little bracelet on tightly, well aware of his tendency to slide it off his thin wrists.

“Okay. Let's get you to bed then. You need some sleep,” she said as she stood to lead him to what would be his room for the next thirty days.

Ben laughed maniacally. “Why the hell would you need sleep? You have me to talk to! And soon you'll have all of us! Remember? Headless Jenny, literally spilled his guts Sam, suicide Alexandria. Oh, we're gonna have so much fun!”

“Shut up Ben,” he whispered, hoping the doctor wouldn't hear.

“We've been over this Klaus. Telling him to stop isn't going to work. You just have to know it isn't real. Focus on what is real. Like the fact that this will be your space. This one's your bed. Lucky you, you don't even have to share the bunk this time. At least for now.”

Klaus groaned, but had given up long ago on telling her Ben never did go away. He was as real to Klaus as the wonderful drugs he had consumed before getting caught. Instead of truly responding to her comments. He just plopped face down on the bed and mumbled thanks.

This time, no one had to tell him that he couldn't have his shoes or anything with strings or buckles. He barely wore anything anyways. Just his leather pants and a little crop top. His coat had been left at his dealer's place, which was a damn shame. He could probably get It back. Hopefully.

He finally closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep for the first time in days, so exhausted he was able to ignore Ben’s obnoxious screaming for attention.

**********

Ben was screaming. Not to annoy him this time. He was in pain and crying to Klaus, telling how much it hurt. They were in a bright white hospital room. The blood still spilling through Ben’s bandages starkly contrasted the neatness of the room. Some nurses were still in the room. One still begging a thirteen-year-old Klaus to leave his brother and go with his siblings in the other room. Klaus refused, refusing to go against the orders of his father to stay and clutched his brother's hand as the heart monitor raced.

Klaus couldn't understand why his father demanded that Ben not get help from a doctor. He had brought him to a hospital, why the hell didn't he get a doctor? Why had stupid Reginald Hargreaves shot his own damn son and force Klaus to watch him bleed out?

Klaus was pulled back to the Ben by more screams. He shut his eyes tight as he heard the monitor beep at a speed that couldn't even be matched by Klaus’ racing thoughts. It suddenly stopped as he opened his eyes with dread. And there Ben was. A ghost standing next to his own dead body. And he was back to screaming at Klaus.

He heard Sir Reginald’s voice echo in his head. “How can you be scared of the dead? You were just holding his hand a few minutes ago. He's just your brother.”

*****************

Klaus woke up screaming with vomit in his throat. Typical.

Ben and his wonderful friends were right by his face. Also screaming. Also typical.

Upon the screaming, he heard his new temporary roommates grumble at him. A second later a nurse in blue scrubs cut through the ghosts was holding out a puke bag that Klaus took gratefully as he retched.

“Come on Klaus,” he heard over the screams. “We're gonna head over to one of the pink rooms.”

“Yay,” he let out weakly. He couldn't even hear It over Ben’s rejoicing.

“Woo! You can talk to us without any listeners!” Ben loved it when Klaus was so bad he had to be separated into a room for ‘agitated individuals.’

Klaus ignored him, only giving him a quick glance. The nurse halfheartedly tried to follow his darting eyes, but he gave up soon and said nothing.

He tiredly stumbled behind the nurse to one of the rooms on the other side of the rec room. He took a moment to look at the digital clock declaring it was 2:13 a.m. in red numbers. No wonder his roommates were mad.

He let himself fall into the new bed that now had no headboard or posts. Too dangerous for him, he supposed. He closed his eyes quickly, willing the nurse and his ghosts to go away. The nurse did, but the others were hopeless, so he accepted that he would have to settle for fading in and out of restless sleep.

A few hours later, he was in a more awake phase when he heard shuffling and quiet whispers. It was a tell-tale sign of the 6 a.m. shift change. He knew what that meant. It meant that the incoming nurses and doctors would get briefed on new patients and that night’s “breakthroughs” and “setbacks.” Lucky Klaus. He was new (again) and already had a setback! At least that's what they called vomiting in the middle of the night from nightmares. Klaus called it Tuesday. And Wednesday. And Thursday. And so on.

He decided to stay up and keep his eyes shut to hear what they had to say about him. Hopefully, he could hear it over Bens whining about Klaus not listening.

He quietly begged Ben to shut up for a minute when he heard footsteps coming closer. Ben was apparently curious enough to actually listen to him this time.

The door creaked further open.

“And this is Klaus.” a voice whispered. “He's been here quite a few times and will probably be here again and again.” Ouch. “He's barely able to function without something in his system. He just screams at nothing.”

“I can't imagine it's really at nothing,” a younger sounding voice said.

“Well. He doesn't think it's nothing. He thinks it's his brother. And a few others. I think he mentioned an Alex or something once. It's hard to keep up with his hallucinations though.”

“Schizophrenia or drugs?”

“First one. Apparently, the drugs dull down the disease though. Which is why he's in this cycle in the first place. He's going to get worse and worse until he leaves and can get another hit of whatever he can. Sorry he's your first special case. Don't feel bad when he devolves. Usually, they at least get a little better here before they leave and relapse. Klaus doesn’t really do that. Just understand he can't help it. Schizophrenia isn't exactly something he can ignore. Though he is good at denial. He'll claim every time that they're really there.” He gives a little huff. “Poor kid.”

“How old is he really?”

“Nineteen.”

“Oh.” The voice sounded small.

Klaus was silently crying by the time that last sad sound comes out. He didn't like being crazy. He would’ve loved to be one of the nurses who look at him with pity but could leave and forget all about him at the end of their shift. He was so emotionally exhausted from dealing with life. He just needed a little sleep. Just a nap before the staff came to wake him up. He passed out before he can hear more footsteps and another briefing in his doorway.


	2. The Middle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos on the last chapter!
> 
> You all have no idea how happy that makes me.
> 
> Anyways, Dave's here!

Another nameless nurse woke him up for breakfast. He obediently dragged himself out of bed and wandered over to the cart of trays in the small lunch area behind the rec room. He found the one they ordered for him and took it to an empty table.

He opened it up and, surprise, surprise... It's waffles. His favorite. And Benny's favorite, he thought, right before Ben reminded him.

“You can't even eat them, dumb ass.” He decided he doesn't care if the nurses and other patients still think he's talking to thin air.

“Fuck you. Someday, you'll get sober, and I'm gonna make you watch me eat them.”

“Two problems. Not getting sober, and you can't make me watch you eat fake waffles.”

“They won't be fake. I'm real. Why wouldn't the waffles be real?”

“Because you're not real.”

“Ouch.”

“Who ya’ talkin’ to?” a new voice intruded.

Klaus yelped like he just got hit in the back of the head. “Who the fuck are you?” he asked before even turning around. He already knew though. He recognized the voice from last night. The younger guy.

The newbie slipped into view in front of him and held out his hand. “Dave.”

Klaus’ jaw damn near fell to the floor. This new ‘Dave’ guy was the hottest man he'd seen in quite awhile. Especially considering most the people he saw were dead people, junkies, dead junkies, and doctors. He made a weird noise sounding like a strangled whimper. “Uh, hi.”

Dave cocked his head and gives him a half smile. “Might want to work on your social skills, man. This is when you shake my hand and say something like ‘Hi. My names Klaus.’’

Klaus shocked himself out of his stupor with a laugh and held out his ‘Hello’ hand. “Clearly you don't need me to say that, Dave.”

“Suppose not,” he said as he sat across from Klaus.

Klaus stared at him and started eating his waffles. They tasted like shit. But the Dave guy was now much more interesting. They examined each other closely. Dave was probably seeing his pale skin and thin frame while Klaus noticed his strong jaw, muscled arms, soft blue eyes, and short brown hair. As he said before, he was fucking hot.

Dave broke the silence with small talk. Normally, Klaus hated it when people did that, and he would barely respond. Now his responses were only short because he wanted to hear Dave's calming voice. It was a great distraction from the figures that were becoming more and more visible in his peripheral vision. His high was finally wearing off completely. Withdrawal would start soon.

The thought made him frown, making Dave stop whatever he was saying. “You alright, Klaus? What's on your mind?”

“Heh,” he breathed out a weird laugh that he inwardly cringed at. “Ghosts and withdrawal.”

“Hmm. Makes sense.”

“Ghosts make sense to you?”

“It makes sense that you're thinking about them. Why don't you tell me something about them? Then we can both be thinking about ghosts.”

Klaus decided he liked this guy. He didn't even mention the schizophrenia. He just wanted to talk to Klaus like a normal human being about things that mattered to Klaus. Like his ghosts. “Well. There’s Benny. Right there in that seat.” He tilted his head In Ben’s direction. “He's my brother. Died on our thirteenth birthday and been around ever since.”

“Twins?”

“Oh, no. See our dad was a little crazy and decided to adopt seven kids who were born on the same day of the same year.” Klaus grimaced. “He was weird like that. If he were my bio dad I'd say I got my crazy from him. But anyway. Benny was cool when he was alive. Dad was obsessed with all of us achieving greatness in our lives or something like that. Ben didn't like that our dad thought he was some great fighter destined to be a boxer or some shit. Then one day he got fed up with everything. So did dad. Ended up in a fight and boom. Dad shot Benny. Don’t really know how it got that intense, but whatever. Still have dreams about it. Like last night. Except in the dreams he makes me watch Benny bleed out and the doctors don’t even try to help. Anyway. Not important. After I started seeing Benny, more ghosts popped up. I found out that I didn’t see any of them but Ben when I got high, so I decided to be high all the time.”

Dave choked out a laughed. “Damn. Wasn't expecting your whole life story, but sometimes you just gotta spout it out like that, I guess. But now you don’t have any good stories for therapy. Shame. Speaking of which, you gotta go to that now, and I gotta leave. Don't let the ghosts bother ya too much Klaus. I'll be back.”

Klaus chuckled. He always had more he could say in therapy. He just didn’t.

*********

The therapy session started boring as all hell. Minus the screaming ghosts and Dave sitting in the corner listening in on the group discussing their problems. Dave was nice to look at, but the ghosts yelling in his ear were a different story.

“Come on! Tell them about me again! Tell them about how dad would smack us across the face every time he caught us talking because he thought you and I were plotting something.”

“No, no. Tell them about me! The first one to ever speak another language to you! You learned German just for me. How could I be fake if I was speaking a language you didn't even know? Tell them about me and prove to them that I’m real!”

“You should let them know how I used to watch you. Every night. After Ben’s tragic little ending, how I watched you scream and hit your head until you passed out. Then I got to watch when you got older and started sneaking in the drugs and alcohol. I watched Daddy Dearest beat the shit out of you when he finally figured it out. Then, my favorite. I got to watch you with Jason. Going into that dingy place every day and letting him-

“STOP! STOP TALKING! Please! Stop...”

The room went silent. “Something you needed to say, Klaus?” the woman in the white coat asked. “Because I’m fairly sure John was talking. It’s not nice to interrupt.”

“I'm sorry. I wasn’t talking to you guys.” He groaned and glanced at the ghosts behind him. “Just my, uh, ‘hallucinations.’” He used finger quotes and laughed at himself. The other patients stared at him while the doctor tried to pull them back on track. It took a moment for everyone to start talking again while Dave gave Klaus a look of sympathy.

After the mildly amusing therapy, the day dragged on. Dave told him he had to leave early for something, so Klaus was left switching between meals, free time, and more therapy. Lucky him. A whole month of this bull shit.

********

This time around in the center was different. The days were going faster than the last several times he'd been in there. No doubt it had something to do with Dave, who never left his side for long. After the first day, it seemed like he was there all day, every day. They talked through meals and free time. Dave told him about the outside world. The good stuff, like how some movie star had donated a bunch of money and how Dave's family was finally starting to accept him. That one was a fun conversation, finding out Dave was bi. It was a perfect time for Klaus to officially tell Dave he was gay, like it wasn’t obvious. Maybe when he was out of here, if he managed to stay sober, maybe one day they could go on a date. He liked the thought, even if it was unlikely. Dave was far out of the league of a schizophrenic druggie.

Klaus told Dave more about his annoying ghosts. He told him about headless Jenny and literally spilled-his-guts Sam and suicidal Alex. Then he told him more about his childhood. About his at-one-point six siblings that had basically dwindled to just Diego when the all others refused to acknowledge him. He told him all about how many times Diego had saved his ass and picked him up from rehab and even bought him waffles. Diego was definitely his favorite sibling just like Dave was his favorite person in this place.

Dave also got used to hearing only one side of Klaus’ conversations. Every time Klaus would look away and say something unrelated, Dave just waited until Klaus turned back. Like now, two and half weeks into his would-be torture.

“Ben says he would punch that dude in the grey shirt over there if he could”

“Why would he be saying that?”

“‘Cause the asshole is cheating, that's why!” Ben yelled right in Dave's face. He didn't notice.

“How the hell do you know he's cheating?” Klaus directed at Ben.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Dave turn around towards the guy and say loudly, “He's got an ace up his sleeve!”

At that, the woman next to him tried to shove him, but her frail arms couldn't do much. One of the security guards ran over anyway, leaving the big wooden door that led to the reception area completely open. If it weren't for Dave, Klaus would already have made a run for it.

Dave's laugh distracted him from his thoughts. Klaus couldn’t hold back a laugh either. When their laughter faded, they smiled at each other while free time was wrapping up. Klaus found himself happy being there, even if he was sober with ghosts still surrounding him. Dave was worth it. He was scared that if he ever came back Dave would hate him. It was then that he decided he wouldn't. He would stay sober when he left in a week and a half. He would only see Dave outside of these walls.

A week and a half, though. That was a fucking short amount of time. A short time of the support of Dave and even the other nurses and doctors. Then he'd be alone. He pushed the thoughts back down until he could talk to Dave alone again. Or as alone as one could be surrounded by hallucinations of dead people.

************

It turned out Klaus couldn’t get himself alone with Dave for another week.

“Dave?”

“Yeah?”

“I only have three days left.”

“Yeah. You do.”

“I'm scared.”

“Don't be. You're untouchable to your ghosts. You've already suffered through your withdrawal. You're away from your dick of a dad. You'll be with Diego soon. And once he sees you're committed to sobriety, I think he'll be glad to help you through it.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?

“I've only been okay because of you. How am I supposed to just drop you and be okay?”

“Hey, Klaus.” His hand guided Klaus’ face from where it was buried in his pillow and making his voice muffled. “I’m always here you know. Whenever you need me. Just come back and ask for me. I may not be able to come right away. But I'll be there. Okay?”

“Okay.”

*********

“You're gonna do great in the real world Klaus.”

“Hey, Klaus! If you promise to stay sober I'll promise to stop screaming as much.”

“Sure you will Benny.”

Dave brought the attention back to himself. “I'm serious Klaus. You will. I believe in you.”

He says it with such a kind smile that Klaus can't help but to believe him. He could do this.

They were alone in his room as he was picking up his stuff. Well, more like picking up the one outfit of sweats and a t-shirt that they had given him.

“Ready?”

His lips twitched upwards looking at Dave. “Yeah.” They made eye contact and it lasts a second too long for Klaus. He can't help but steal a quick peck on Dave's cheek before he walked briskly out and before Dave could react.

He was able to sign out right before the nurses start talking about him. They say he's still talking to the air, but at least he's smiling like a somewhat normal kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Again, feel free to comment any feedback or tell me any errors I made.
> 
> I promise the last chapter will be up soon :)


	3. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you all so much for the support!
> 
> And I apologize beforehand because this is not a happy ending story.
> 
> Enjoy.

One week of sobriety. One week of crashing at Diego's place. One week of Ben and dozens of ghosts popping up to yell and annoy him.

He can't help but scream when he's walking down the street and another woman with a bloodstained dress yells at him to kill her husband.

It's tiring. He's already had 13 panic attacks in 7 days.

Maybe it was fitting. 7 days of sobriety. 7 kids. Tomorrow it will be 7 years of fake Ben following him around.

That was all he could take. Sobriety was great with Dave. Shit without. Dave would be disappointed, but at least he'll get to be with the man again.

 

**************************

 

He waited until midnight. There was no good reason behind the waiting, but Klaus thought it was just the right thing to do. Maybe he was stalling. He knew it was Dave making him stall, but, god damnit, Ben and the others wouldn’t shut up and reminding him of things he’d much rather forget. He slipped out the front door of his temporary home and into the rain. Again, fitting for his situation.

He took his time meandering to the alley he knows so well, but he was still there before he knew it. He heads all the way down until he reaches the side door of a run-down building. He thinks it used to be a bar. Everything just seems to fit perfectly today.

He punches in the four digit code to the updated lock on the old door. He takes a much needed breath and steels himself before opening the wooden door with a creak.

“Jace?” he calls out. Damn, his voice is shaky. “Jason!” He demands louder.

He heard a loud drunken laugh. Clearly belonging to his one and only Jason. “Klaus! You're back!” He yells. He comes into view from around the corner. He's two inches shorter than Klaus, but a hell of a lot more intimidating. He looks no different from last time, overwhelmingly muscular in way that was much worse than Dave, once-perfect facial features ruined by the sinking from too much drinking and drugs (though Klaus supposed he often held a similar look on his face), and large, grimy, calloused hands gesturing towards Klaus like he was pointing out a store display to friend.

He looked Klaus up and down and takes in a breath. “And still looking sexy ever.” He smiled creepily and stumbled over to Klaus, reeking of alcohol. He grabbed Klaus’ shoulders, looking him over again, more predatory this time. “Mmm, what is it you want in return this time, cutie?” His breath was near unbearable. Klaus was second guessing whether he can put himself through this again, but the voices surrounding him, begging him not to make them go away again were the exact reasons he had to do it.

“Just something to hold me over for a bit. Maybe oxy?”

“Huh, expensive little one aren't you. Fine. C’mere,“ he said with his disturbing grin. He pulled Klaus so his arm laid heavily over his shoulder, forcing him to smell the stench of the his sweat. Klaus tried to subtly hold his breath as he was brought to an old mattress on the floor in the corner. The same one that he’d been forced onto seemingly hundreds of times before. Jason pushed Klaus to his knees. It was a well-practiced motion between the two. One that Klaus hated, but he knew he had to pay for his relief.

 

***********************

 

It happened for the first time in over a month. He woke up alone, naked, and sore. A new little baggie of pills laid by his face at least. He looked around and grabbed for the clothes he found that luckily were still nearby. He quickly pulled them on and, funny enough, they were the clothes he had gotten from rehab. He forgot he had come over in those. He wondered why Jason still wanted him when he looked like that.

He sat up with the migraine caused by the sound of yelling. Oh yeah. That definitely hadn't changed since last night. He picked up the baggy, dumped a few pills in his hand, and swallowed them dry. The sounds barely dulled in the next few minutes. He took a few more, and still hardly anything. He gave up and took half the bag, hoping for the best. It took a little while before his head began to spin and the most of the voices faded away.

He missed Dave. Dave would make this go away. Where was Dave?

“At the rehab, dumbass”

“Shut up Ben. I didn’t ask”

“You did in your head, though.”

Klaus groaned, but he had a point. Two points, really, but the second one about responding to his unspoken question didn’t matter anymore. He had to see Dave. He didn’t even have to check himself in. He just needed to pop by. Say hello. Ask for Dave. He could do It.

That was his mantra as he got up and wandered out of the nasty building and back into the ally. “Can do it. Pop in. Say hello. Get Dave. Easy peasy” he muttered.

 

**********************

 

After a long while of stumbling and forgetting where he was and where he was going, he finally managed to get to the steps leading into the Sunny rehab center. He never expected to be here optionally. He sighed heavily, slowly lifting his foot up onto the first concrete step. “Can do it. Again,” he mumbled as he made his way up. At the top, he took a minute to stop his painful wheezing before hauling open the seemingly heavy door and waltzing in, pretending to be okay again.

“Hello, miss!” He sung to the young woman he didn't recognize at the counter while Ben groaned at him. “I need to see Dave. If he's here,” he added sweetly.

“Klaus, are you okay?” At least she recognized him.

“Well no. That's why I'm asking for Dave!”

“Okay, um. Honey, who is Dave though?”

“He's Dave! You should learn you coworkers better my dear,” he leans over to see her ID on her lanyard, “Valerie!” He gave a seemingly careless laugh.

“I'm sorry. I guess we might work different shifts. Look, just sit down and hold on. I'll go ask when and if this Dave is in today, buddy.”

He groans but plops down into one of the chairs. He hates when people call him buddy. Except for Dave. Dave can do it and it sounded sweet. The stupid chair didn’t feel as comfortable as the last time, but he waited there anyway, even if Dave wouldn’t have given a shit if he had just sat on the floor. He waited patiently, which was ironic, considering he wasn't a patient. He chuckled to himself at the pun.

Valerie comes back with Klaus’ favorite psychiatrist. Cassandra quickly comes forward right in front of Klaus.

“Klaus, can you hear me?”

“Obviously doc. I'm high, not deaf. Now is Dave working today or not?”

“Honey. There is no Dave here.”

“Okay, so so when does he work?” he asked, no longer patient like before.

“Klaus, no. You aren’t understanding. Dave is like Ben and the others. He’s just up there, okay?” She asked pointing to his head. “Do you understand me, Klaus? I think you should go to a hospital if it's this bad. Normally you know which ones are hallucinations. I heard you talking to someone new last time you were here. I thought you knew he wasn’t there.”

“Dave is real,” he insisted. “Dave was here. He was here and we talked and he helped me with my nightmares and he held my hand and - and he was so real.” He stared wide-eyed at her in disbelief.

“Klaus, what job did Dave have here?”

He was starting to hyperventilate now. “He- he- he was an aide or something. Right?”

“Klaus, we have security, physicians, therapists, nurses, receptionists, and me. I know the names of every single employee. We have no aides here Klaus. And we don’t have and never have had a Dave.”

“Liar! She's a liar!” Klaus turns sharply at the noise. It's beautiful Dave. Here to save the day again.

Except Cassandra and Valerie don't even look at him.

“Klaus! I'm right here! I'm real! Remember? You kissed me, Klaus. I'm real!”

Klaus screamed, just like the ghosts did to him every second he wasn't high. There was Dave, sounding exactly like every other ghost. “NO!” It was a guttural scream. “YOU LIED TO ME! LIAR!” Klaus yelled again senselessly to the air he thought was Dave. He fell to the floor and scrambled for the door. He finally pulled himself up with the door handle and ran out. He sprinted into the nearest ally and kept running down tiny back streets and alleyways, never taking a break to catch his breath.

He stopped himself at the dead end of ally he didn’t recognize. The voices and figures had come back. Dave was with them now. His pretty smile replaced with a wide open screaming mouth. Just like all the others. Klaus sobbed.

He pulled out his baggy and shut his eyes tight as he gulped down down the rest of the pills, internally begging for it to end. Without opening his eyes, he backed into a wall and slid down it. He curled up, putting his hands over his ears.

“I'm sorry! I’m sorry! I can't do this! You're not here. You aren't real. You aren't real. You aren't real.”

He repeated the mantra until he jumbled it into nonsense and the voices finally went silent.

 

**************************

 

He was found by a cop that night. Benjamin. Ben first thought it was just another overdosed druggie, but he realized knew this one. Diego’s brother. The same kid he had dragged into rehab just over a month ago. He would be in charge of telling Diego, he knew. Ben had heard Diego talking about Klaus this week. About how much better Klaus was doing and how he was staying with Diego. Diego would have to hear about his brother's death a week after Klaus declared sobriety. Ben knew Diego couldn't handle hearing about his little brother's disease taking over. He would tell him it was another accidental overdose. Diego didn't need to know the whole truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, and I hope everyone at least somewhat enjoyed this fic like I enjoyed writing it. And by that I mean cried from all the angst but kept going anyway.
> 
> This is the end, but I still love feedback. Maybe I'll write you something new soon. Feel free to drop any ideas/prompts down below and maybe I'll do something with them :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed this mess.  
> Feel free to leave feedback or point out any mistakes in my writing. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
